2026/07/24 by Olivia Gaunt, Kaavya Venkatesh, Ryan McNally +2
paper · doi:10.1097/hjh.0000000000004401
Our aim was to systematically review and meta-analyse evidence on the association between pulse pressure (PP) and cognitive function using PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and Scopus (inception–July 2025) publication databases. Studies were included if they reported an association between PP and cognitive function and summarized narratively and by performing fixed-effects meta-analysis. The search identified 4171 publications with 43 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Domains assessed included global cognition, memory, language, attention, executive function, processing speed and visuospatial ability. Meta-analysis suggests a positive association between PP and global cognition, and a negative association with memory in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with inconsistent findings from narratively summarized studies. Processing speed, executive function and language negatively associated with PP in cross-sectional studies with limited evidence provided by longitudinal studies or narratively summarized studies. There was limited evidence of an association with attention and visuospatial ability.